Missing You
by TheEmptyOwl
Summary: Mara and Jerome are now married, but Jerome has to say good bye for a little while. May be confusing at first but stick with it! JARA! REVIEW x original cover photo from freedigitalphotos .net
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own House of Anubis or the characters from the show, obviously.**

**A/N: jut thought I might tell you that most of my stories won't have season 3 content in it because I live in England and season 3 hasn't premiered yet. It's staring on the 15****th**** of April. YEEEEEEEK. But because of all the spoilers, I basically know what's gonna happen. JARA SHALL NOT DIE**

**OH AND THE BEGINNING MAY SEEM CONFUSING BUT STICK WITH IT, IN THE NEXT CHAPTER IT WILL MAKE SENSE!**

"Mara," Jerome whispered, nudging her gently. "Mara, wake up."

He was dressed in his military uniform and it wasn't anything fancy like the uniforms of those who are higher up in the army, but still he managed to make it look good, and he looked very handsome indeed.

Jerome had never been in the army before. He was a well-known photographer, in fact. He had only once considered joining the army and that was when he graduated** (A/N I know in England they don't call it graduation, but I've been spending way too much time reading American fanfics.).** He was smart, second highest scores in almost all his classes (one place behind Mara, of course) and he had a range of qualifications meaning he could select from many different jobs, but he didn't see it that way. He saw himself as worthless and unloved. Mara had tried to convince him all the time that he was special and kind and caring and that she loved him very much.

Obviously, she didn't love him enough though, because she was still with Mick Campbell.

And he knew it was selfish for thinking that Mara didn't love him just because she wasn't going out with him, but he wanted her to love him more. He wanted for them to be more than friends; much more.

That was why he had considered joining the army- to get away from it all.

But a few weeks after graduation, Mara and Jerome were officially together. Jerome couldn't quite believe it. Mara had caught Mick with another girl at the graduation party, and Jerome had been there to comfort her. Jerome had expected that much- Mick was never content with what he had, he always tries to reach for more but just ends up losing all he had to begin with. But cheating on Mara had to be the biggest mistake he ever made. Jerome knew Mara was amazing- she was sweet, kind, caring, considerate, generous, beautiful and adorably shy. She was everything a man needed to keep him happy, but Mick had let all of that go, and Jerome couldn't be happier. After getting together with Mara, all thoughts of joining the army were forgotten.

After Jerome had comforted her, they became closer, and eventually Jerome plucked up the courage to ask her out. He remembered that day to the last detail.

* * *

FLASHBACK

"Jerome?" Mara asked.

They were sat in a quaint little coffee house and Jerome had just placed two steaming cups of coffee on their table. They came here a lot and Mara always insisted that they sat at the back of the café, in a little 'booth' where they were hidden from the world. They were now in University, Mara was trying to pursue a career in journalism and Jerome was taking a photography course.

"Yes, Jaffray?" Jerome replied, shooting her a dazzling smile.

"I just wanted to say thanks." Mara said, wrapping her arms around Jerome's middle and hugging him from the side. Jerome was surprised, he hadn't expected that, but then again Mara did hug him frequently and it meant nothing more than friendship, so he tried to calm his heartbeat and urgently tried to push away the butterflies in his stomach.

Jerome snaked his arm around her shoulders and gave a confused laugh.

"Thanks? Thanks for what?" Jerome questioned.

"You know, for comforting me and all." Mara mumbled, still hugging him.

"That's quite all right Jaffray." He chuckled.

"No, no it's not." Mara insisted, looking up at his face with a serious expression while he stared down at her with loving eyes. Mara didn't know why, but Jerome always seemed to look at her like that. She saw the way he looked at other people, and his eyes were never like that; not even to the people he loved the most like Alfie or Poppy. "You're always there for me, Jerome. _Always. _Whenever I need comforting, like all those times back in school, you would drop everything and make me feel better."

"My pleasure."

"You're the best friend ever!" Mara buried her face in his side again.

Jerome froze. He felt privileged that Mara thought he was 'the best' but what would make him even more happy was if she had added the word 'boy' in between 'best' and 'friend'.

Mara felt Jerome stiffen and she pulled away from him gently, but still had her arms around him.

"Are you okay?" Mara asked, worried. "Did I… say something?" she looked into his eyes.

"No! of course not, it's just…" Jerome wondered whether he should do it. Should he tell her how he felt? He had tried once to ask her out, but she had let him down, and after that, he never asked her directly- instead he just made…gestures. Then he realised that after university they would be going their separate ways and he may never get the chance to ask her out again.

"What?" Mara urged and her voice was a whisper.

"I was just wondering… y-you know…"

"Yes…?"

"If we could be something a little more than friends?" Jerome said it all rather fast and as soon as he had finished- which was about a millisecond after he'd started- he closed his eyes, awaiting the response.

"Oh," Was all she said. "Oh, Jerome I never knew you felt like that."

"Look Mara, I know that stupid Meathead hurt you," Jerome said and Mara giggled. She had always scolded him for using that nick name but now she could see that he had been right all along. Seeing her smile and hearing her laugh made Jerome relax and encouraged him to continue speaking. "But I won't, okay? I would never do something like that to you-"

"I know that, Jerome. It's just that… well we only broke up a week ago, a-and I'm not really sure if I'm ready for a relationship just yet. And you're my best friend, what if we break up? I don't want to have to ignore you forever." She explained making cute little hand gestures while she spoke, another trait Jerome admired.

"Okay, how about…OH!" he suddenly cried and Mara could almost see the light bulb above his head. "How about we just, give it a go? Try a few dates and if you feel uncomfortable then we go back to being best friends, as if nothing happened, with no hard feelings!"

Mara couldn't help but smile, he looked so enthusiastic, and it was pretty much a fool-proof plan.

Instead of replying, Mara extended her neck and placed a little kiss on his cheek.

"So, was that a yes? We can give it a go?" Jerome asked quickly.

"We can give it a go." Mara said with a smile and she was immediately in his arms, engulfed in a warm hug.

* * *

Their first date was on the 26th October. It was mid-Autumn, so the trees hadn't yet lost their leaves but they had turned to beautiful earthy colours- reds, yellows and oranges. The weather was just right too- not too hot but not too cold. The sun shone in the sky and warmed the atmosphere and a warm breeze also filled the air. Perfect conditions for a picnic in a meadow.

Yes, you heard right. A picnic in a meadow. It was a place that Jerome was sure only he knew about- it was abandoned whenever he went there. It was his special place and Jerome was hoping that- if this 'trial' went well- it could be his and Mara's special place.

The meadow was beautiful. It was a huge clearing with red-leafed trees outlining the perimeter. The grass was tall, up to his waist, but it didn't look green because there were thousands of light pink flowers growing up to the same size as the grass. It was quite hard laying the picnic, because he had to stomp on the grass and flatten it first.

Now he was in front of Mara's flat and he had just knocked on the door. A few seconds later Joy opened the door.

"Hey Jerome!" she said brightly. "Looking forward to this date?" she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and he rolled his eyes.

"I just hope it goes well."

"Of course it's going to go well! Any idiot can see that you two are perfect together- I think Mara likes you too, you know. It's just that the whole 'Mick incident' was quite recent."

"Yeah, I know." Jerome said, waiting for Mara to come down.

"Oh, right. Sorry! You probably want to talk to Mara now!" Joy laughed nervously. "MARA! WOULD YOU GET DOWN HERE?"

Jerome had taken a step back at her outburst. Just then Mara stepped out into the hallway, and she looked beautiful. She was wearing a white lace dress- the lace had a rosy pattern on it- and she wore a brown fabric belt around it. Her hair was down and passed her chest- she looked breathtaking. The lace dress looked cute; it wasn't fancy, just perfect for the warm weather outside.

"Hey, Jerome." She said nervously, fidgeting with her dress.

"Okay now, you kids have fun," Joy said. "But not too much fun!" she said pointing at Jerome and Mara giggled. Joy then went back inside and shut the door.

"Hey, Mara. You look…wow!" Jerome was speechless.

"Thanks," she blushed. "Should we…?" Mara asked, pointing down the hall. Jerome nodded dumbly and then regained his posture, why did he always have to be so awkward around her? He was supposed to be the 'ladies man'.

"yeah." He whispered and he gently took her hand in his, leading her down the hall and out into the crisp autumn air.

They had been walking for ages, but neither of them were tired, they were exhilarated. They loved being in each other's company. "Jerome, where are we going?" Mara asked yet again, a huge smile on her face.

"I told you, Mara, it's a surprise." Jerome said again. He knew Mara loved and hated surprises at the same time. You see, she loves surprises, but she hates having to wait for them.

"Fine." Mara huffed, but both she and Jerome could see the huge grins on each other's faces, and it gave Jerome hope that maybe she was enjoying this, and that it will work out.

A few minutes later they were in the woods, slaloming through the trees, laughing out loud for no apparent reason.

"Jerome, do you even know where we're-"but she was shushed by Jerome who placed a finger to her lips. They were in a place where hundreds of trees were stood in a perfectly straight line. Jerome let go of her hand and squeezed through the gap between two of the trees and Mara followed suit.

As soon as she was at the other side, she gasped. It was so beautiful. A breath taking meadow. Trust Jerome to find a place like this.

"Come on!" Jerome said and he crouched down.

"Umm…Jerome?"

"Piggy back ride- Come on! Get on my back, Mara!"

"O…K." She was a little surprised, but excited nonetheless. She straddled Jerome's back and gingerly moved her hands to grip his shoulders. Jerome stood suddenly and Mara let out a squeal. Jerome chuckled and asked "You ready?"

"Mm hmm" was Mara's response.

Jerome shot off at full speed, racing across the Meadow to where the picnic lay. Mara was giggling loudly and Jerome was laughing too. When they got to the picnic, Jerome crouched down again do that Mara could get off of him.

"Oh, wow, Jerome!" Mara gasped, looking at the picnic.

"Do you like it?" He asked nervously.

"I _love_ it."

* * *

Jerome remembered those days as if they were last week. He and Mara were now married, he had become a professional photographer, but because of a recent war, he had been called up. He didn't want to go any more; he had a reason to stay now- Mara.

But you couldn't refuse to go- it was against the rules.

Mara had only wanted to be a journalist, but now, she had journalists working for her. She and Amber worked together to run their own fashion magazine, and they were pretty famous. Not so famous that she gets bombarded with paparazzi every time she stepped out of her door, and not everyone recognized her; she wasn't exactly _in_ the magazine anyway, she co-owned it. But she and Amber got invited to exclusive events and higher class people knew her name.

Mara always got sent packages of new clothes straight from designers, almost begging her to include them in one of the articles.

Fashion wasn't really 'her thing' but she knew a thing or two about it. Basically, she was into the articles that talked about friendship and relationships and Amber was more into the fashion side of it all. So together, they were the perfect pair to create the perfect magazine.

Jerome would also get his photos published in Mara's magazine- an added bonus.

He couldn't believe he had to go and leave her behind. The army promised that they'd be back within 10 months but you can't really trust them. He may not even come back. Both he and Mara knew that there was a risk of him dying or even coming back disabled, but they always tried to look on the bright side.

"Mara," Jerome whispered, nudging her gently. "Mara, wake up."

Mara's eyes fluttered open. "Hmm…?" she asked sleepily. She was so adorable.

"I have to go now."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again!**  
**Thanks to:**

**Corrin Rosen**

**bs13**

**Seamus 2468**

**Izzi08**

**For reviewing! You made me happy :D**

**Anyways… on with the story**

"I have to go now." Jerome whispered, cupping Mara's cheeks with his hands.

"Oh."

Mara could feel the tears springing up behind her eyes and she tried to blink them away. He looked so handsome in his uniform. Mara couldn't believe that he had to go. She wouldn't be able to cope without him for a whole ten months, and it may even be longer. He may come back 2 years later, or 3 years later- she didn't know! He might come back in wheelchair, with no arms or legs; he may as well we blind! Or worse yet, he may not come back at all…

Mara knew she shouldn't think these things, but they weren't exactly unlikely. He would be in a place where fighting and killing were all people knew how to do; a place where fighting and killing were what you _had _to do; a place where fighting and killing were what you were _taught _to do.

Oh, she wouldn't be able to bear it if he didn't come home.

A tear rolled out of her eye and slid its way to Jerome's hands. He gently wiped it away.

"Hey, hey. No crying, now." He was trying to soothe her but Mara could tell by the way his bottom lip was quivering slightly that he, too, was trying to fight back the tears. "You know I'll be back soon."

"What if you don't come back? What then?" she asked.

Jerome was surprised and his eyebrows rose. Mara was never blunt like that. She was implying that he'd die and he knew it was a possibility, but Mara was never one to point out the negatives. But of course, Mara was the most stubborn girl he'd ever met- not stubborn in a rude way, in fact Jerome found it cute.

He remembered the day that they were playing in a park, years and years before they went to Anubis. Well, Jerome went to Anubis by then, but Mara hadn't yet enrolled. Their parents knew each other so Jerome and Mara got to play together a lot when they were young.

Jerome remembered how stubborn Mara had been that day all because of a snide remark that Jerome had made.

* * *

FLASHBACK

Jerome was sat on the grass near the pond. He could have been playing on the swings or the slide; no one was at the park even though it was a bright sunny day. His mum had 'things to do' and had told Jerome to go play in the park. He was only five years old so his mum was still pregnant with Poppy.

He didn't understand all the big words his mum said like 'pregnant' or 'morning sickness'. All he knew was that his mum was getting fatter by the day and that one day he'd have a thing running around dribbling on all his things.

"Um… hi" Came a shy and quiet voice behind him. He turned around and saw that it was Mara, the daughter of some of his mum's friends.

"Oh, hi" he said, sounding rather uninterested in her and he turned back to face the pond, throwing a pebble into it and watching with a dull expression as the ripples spread out around it.

Mara didn't like being ignored, most of the people in her neighbourhood didn't talk to her, so she was used to it, but that didn't mean she liked it. Once she was going to ask her neighbour Connor to play with her, but he said something about her talking too much. She didn't think much of it though, if people didn't like her they way she was, it was _their_ problem.

Mara walked around him and stood right in front of him, looking down at Jerome with big brown eyes.

"Can you push me on the swings?"

"Aw, can your little legs not swing you high enough?"

"I am _not_ short; I just don't know how to push myself on a swing."

Jerome got up and they started making their way to the swing set.

"Fine, I'll push you. I guess you can't push yourself 'cause you're a girl."

That last remark caught Mara's attention and she stopped in her tracks and turned around. This caused Jerome to stop as well.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you know, girls aren't as strong as boys." He said with a smug smirk plastered on his face.

"Yes they are." Mara insisted with a stomp of her foot.

"Oh come on, it's a fact. My dad told me so." He continued and the smirk grew larger.

"That doesn't make it true. Anyway, mummy told me that girls are smarter than boys."

"Oh, really? What is four times two?" he asked.

"I don't know. Neither do you." She replied, poking him in the chest.

"Yes I do."

"Go on then- what's the answer?"

"Eighty-ten"

Mara looked at him weirdly but she didn't protest; after all, she had only been taught to count to thirty and 'eighty-ten' may be a real number. So she didn't want to sound stupid and ruin it.

"Fine but that doesn't prove that boys are stronger than girls, or that they are smarter."

"Of course boys are smarter than girls. Boys have the best jobs. That must be because they're smarter."

"Girls can have good jobs too!"

"Like what? Dad says girls should stay at home and do what women are made for."

"That's not fair. You are wrong."

"Fine then- push yourself on the swings. Why do you have to be right, anyway?"

"Because I _am_ right! I don't like you."

Mara turned and walked away to the swings. Once she got on, she tried her hardest to get herself moving, but she couldn't- her feet didn't even touch the ground. Jerome could hear her grunting in the corner in an effort to swing herself and he laughed.

Finally feeling sorry for her, Jerome moved to her side and she snuck a glance at him but turned away, focused on getting herself moving.

"Need any help?" He asked, unable to stifle his laugh.

"Don't laugh! I can do it. I don't need your help!"

"Fine." He said and walked away, quietly laughing to himself.

_I feel sorry for whoever has to marry her someday,_ he thought.

* * *

"What if you don't come back? What then?" she asked.

"You can't get rid of me that easily, Jaffray." He replied and that made her giggle quietly. Even though they were married, Jerome still referred to her as 'Jaffray'. It…suited her.

She sat up and pulled the quilt up to cover herself, she wasn't wearing anything underneath and Jerome smirked, which earned him a playful whack on the arm.

"Do you have to go right now?" she asked, tears gathering up again.

"I'm afraid so," He said solemnly and they both wrapped their arms around each other. "Come on."

Mara pulled on her dressing gown and stood up, walking outside with her husband. He opened the trunk of his car and hauled in the duffel bag. After closing the trunk he turned back to his wife with tears trickling down his handsome face.

She moved forward and wrapped her arms around his torso, burying her face into his chest.

"I'll miss you so much, Jerome." She whispered.

"I'll miss you too. I love you." He said.

"I love you too."

They both met each other's eyes and Jerome leaned down, eyes closed to capture Mara's soft, warm lips in his. Jerome gripped Mara's waist with one hand and with the other he rubbed circles into her back.

Mara's hands moved up- one cupping the back of his neck and the other tangled in his oh-so soft hair.

"Goodbye." Mara said, her voice finally breaking.

"Hey, it's only goodbye for a little while." Jerome said. _I hope_, he added in his mind.

**REVIEW XXX**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello…**

**Corrin Rosen: thanks for the review and also the suggestion. I hope this chapter is kinda what you asked for. :D**

**bs13:**  
** I love reading long reviews! And yeah I loved your sad Jara fic- I'm guessing you were talking about 'Forever and always'. That story nearly made me cryL. But you made up for it by writing 'I want to spend forever with you'.**

**On with the story…**

**oh P.S. there's not any of those 'memory' bits like in the last two chapters, i wrote this in kind of a hurry because i wanted to get something posted. hope you enjoy though!**

Mara watched with a heavy heart as Jerome's car raced down the road.

Suddenly he stuck his head out and blew a kiss over to her which she pretended to catch. As his head popped out Mara noticed all the tears. She knew how he always acted so brave around her in these types of situations but both of them knew how much of a softie he was really- well to her anyway.

Mara slowly turned around and made her way to the front door, she opened it and went inside, letting the door close with a soft _click._

She knew today was going to be hard and the fact that she felt sick didn't help the situation. She didn't want to tell Jerome that she felt sick, she knew it would only dampen the mood even more- but now that she thought about it, she had felt this way for a few days.

_Oh well_, she thought, _I'm probably coming down with a fever, or something._

She wondered into the kitchen and flicked the switch on the kettle. While it boiled Mara picked up all the unread mail sitting on the counter. That got her thinking- she couldn't wait until Jerome sent her a letter. She wanted to write to him so bad, but she didn't know the address, so she'd have to wait for him to write.

* * *

Jerome had been sent to Afghanistan, and was currently living in a weird hut type of thing. He could find no other way to describe it.

He had never been into war before so here he was a Private. Private Clarke.

He had to live with three other soldiers, Private Peters, Private Lawless, and Private smith. They were all 'privates', lowest rank in the army, but all of them had been to war before, so around here, Jerome was the newbie.

None of the soldiers had ever met before, but all of them new that this was Jerome's first time in the army. None of them teased him about him of course, but Jerome didn't like it. He would often familiarise himself with new people by cracking a joke, or pointing out other people's mistakes and flaws- sounds cruel, but that was the person Jerome showed the world. But here, he couldn't point out other people's mistakes and flaws when he had no experience himself.

His thoughts would often lead back to Mara, and her wellbeing. Mara hadn't said anything but Jerome could sense that something wasn't quite right. He didn't want to leave her in that state- what if it was something serious- but Jerome had convinced himself that if something was up, Mara would have told him.

And then he remembered that there was no way she could tell him without knowing where to send her letters to!

He immediately started moving around like some wild animal that has been set free, and that earned him some concerned looks from his fellow soldiers.

"You okay there, mate?" Private Peters asked.

"Any of you got any paper?" Jerome replied.

"Uh… Yeah, at the back on that shelf, there's a whole pack of A4 paper." Private Smith joined in.

"Thanks." Jerome said, it didn't sound like he meant it, but no one seemed to care, they went back to their own business.

Jerome ran over to the shelf, peeling out a piece of paper from the stack and moved to his bunk bed where he found a pen and started writing eagerly.

_Dear Mara,_

He only got to that point when Private Lawless had climbed up the ladder to the top bunk and snatched the paper from Jerome.

"Hey!" Jerome exclaimed, trying to snatch the paper back.

"Dear Mara." Private Lawless read out loud with a high pitched voice.

"Oooh." The other two privates joined in, making kissing noises at Jerome.

"Alright, very funny. Now give it back, come on." Jerome was getting annoyed now; he just wanted to write a letter as soon as possible so Mara could reply as soon as possible.

"Calm down. So is this 'Mara'? Your _girlfriend?_" Private Lawless emphasised the word 'girlfriend'.

"She's my wife, _actually._" Jerome replied, matching the smugness of Private Lawless, and then smiled contently; glad that he could continue with his letter.

_Dear Mara,  
I miss you so much. How are you? I am doing fine; I'm staying at this weird hut thingy with three other soldiers- Private Peters, Private Smith and Private Lawless. Private Lawless is by far the worst- smug and cocky, and not in the adorable way like me. :D_

_Our rations have come in. it's nothing but some weird packaged stuff. It kind of makes me appreciate your food. I'm joking; you know I love your cooking._

_But all in all, I'm doing very well. We have had training obviously, but we're not fighting yet, our group is more the 'lookout' type group, so there is no reason to worry._

_Sorry this letter is quite short, but I'm just writing this so you know where to send the reply and I want to see how you're doing._

_I love you so much._

_See you soon; please reply_

_Lots of love, from Jerome._

_Xxx_

* * *

Mara was sat in the living room sofa, staring eagerly at the piece of plastic in her hands.

_A few more seconds… _she thought.

And as she predicted, a few more seconds later, the screen on the pregnancy test went from blank to displaying the word 'POSITIVE' and underneath it read '2-3 weeks'.

She squealed excitedly. She was 2-3 weeks pregnant! Then realisation hit her. She would have to go through pregnancy, _all by herself._ She may even have to go through_ labour_ by herself! Sure, she had friends; kind and caring friends. But she couldn't help but thinking that Jerome would have made it a million times more comfortable if he were here. Also, what kind of friend would she be, asking her friends to tend to her every need?

Anyway, Jerome would write so it wasn't like he was completely gone… right?

As her thoughts drifted off, a sudden _thump_ caught her attention. She exited the living room, hand on her stomach subconsciously and saw that the mail had been delivered.

After picking it up she went back to the living room and sat down on the sofa yet again. She scanned through the letters, not caring about all the bills and flyers, her mind was set on finding a letter from Jerome- _if he had written a letter that is, _she thought.

After sifting through the mail, she found a letter which had 'Mara Clarke' written on the front in Jerome's italic font. She eagerly and messily ripped it open, and then dug her fingers inside the envelope to take out the letter. She read it through slowly and carefully. Her heart felt heavy. He felt sorry for him. '_Nothing but some weird packaged stuff'_ he had said, would he really be able to cope almost a year?

She laughed at the sentence- _Private Lawless is by far the worst- smug and cocky, and not in the adorable way like me. :D. _And although she'd hate to admit it, smug and cocky were quite adorable traits of Jerome.

She got up from the sofa and ran upstairs; she couldn't wait to tell Jerome the news. She was going to be a mother and Jerome was going to be a father.

They had tried to have a family for a while but then stopped when Jerome had been called up, afraid that Mara will have to go through it all alone and the fact that the child may end up fatherless.

But Mara was almost sure she was ready for this. And with such great friends to help with everything, what could go wrong?

**REVIEW PLEASE! xx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello and enjoy…**

**BTW Emmyallheart153, I had already said that Mara was pregnant when you had reviewed :D **

Mara entered the master bedroom and rummaged around for a pen. Finally managing to find one, she sat on the bed and got writing.

_Dear Jerome,_

_I am so glad that you're okay! Your friends don't sound too bad. I'm sure you'll like them once you get to know them._

_Anyway, Poppy called and she says to tell you that she misses you very much and that she hopes you'll be back soon. She's also mad at you for missing her 22__nd__ birthday. _

_Things at work are fine; Amber is all excited about a party that we got invited to. The party is to celebrate the 10__th__ anniversary of one of the fashion companies. The invitation was quite short notice- the party is in two days! I'm just glad she isn't dragging me along with her to shop for a new dress, because I've been posted a one-of-a-kind dress from a designer. To be honest, Amber is more excited about the dress than me._

_Alfie says he really misses you too and that he hopes you come back really soon. You know, Alfie and Amber's son, Lois, is now one year old!_

_And, speaking of children… I'm pregnant!_

_And… before you freak out, I have everyone here to help me, and I'm pretty sure that it's going to be okay! I know we said that we should stop trying when you got called up but, we have waited so long, and we will be parents!_

_This is probably shocking, but I only found out a few minutes ago myself, but I just wanted you to be the first person I told. Sorry if this was quite sudden, but I don't really know how else to tell you._

_Please reply soon,_

_I love you,_

_Lot of love from Mara xxx_

Mara read through her letter again, and feeling satisfied, she folded it up and neatly placed it inside an envelope.

She wanted to send this to him as soon as she could, but she couldn't help thinking, _would he freak out?_ The letter is kind of blunt. _Blunt or not, the news is the same. You're pregnant. No matter how you say it, it means the same thing,_ she thought.

That was enough to convince Mara. He had to find out sometime, anyhow. _Or you could keep it a secret and wait till Jerome comes back to see how he reacts. Think about it- if he doesn't find out till then, he has nowhere to run, she wondered._

_No, _she thought. She was being silly. Jerome wouldn't leave her just because she is pregnant.

And there was no way she would be able to keep it a secret.

After arguing with herself for several more minutes, she finally decided to sleep on it.

She'd pop into the post office on her way to work, tomorrow.

As she lay in bed, she remembered when she and Jerome would play 'baby' when they were young. Well, she remembered how she had _forced_ him to play 'baby'

* * *

FLASHBACK

Mara sighed and sat down on the steps outside her house. She kept a firm grip on the baby doll in her hands that her Dad had gotten her as an apology for missing her 5th birthday. Her Mum and Dad had to go to America for some sporting event or the other and they had hired a nanny to look after her.

Her nanny had said he could go out and play since Mara said she didn't want a party. What was the point of celebrating if she's alone? Her parents always did this- miss her birthdays and then get her a present to apologise.

She had gone outside to play, but she needed someone to play _with_. No one in the neighbourhood really liked to play with Mara; she didn't know why. She looked up when she heard footsteps, and saw Jerome ambling along the street.

"JEROME!" she screeched, getting up hurriedly and running over to him.

"Hmm." Jerome mumbled, and then continued on his walk.

"Wait! Play with me, Jerome." She pleaded. Jerome looked at her for a second, kind of feeling sorry for her. He knew it was her birthday and her parents had left her alone, but he didn't want to seem soft.

"No." he sneered then walked away. She, of course, ran after him and grabbed at his sleeve.

"_Please!" _she practically begged. And he couldn't say no to her big, watering puppy dog eyes.

"Ugh, fine," He sighed, "What are we going to play?"

"Let's play baby!"

"Baby?"

"yeah," she said, looking down at the doll wrapped up in her arms. "Baby!"

Mara tried to get Jerome to hold the baby. Jerome had had enough of babies. With his new sister Poppy, no one paid attention to him anymore, not that they paid much attention before. Jerome reluctantly took the baby into his arms and Mara smiled.

"Is it _real?_" Jerome asked as his eyes widened- the baby did look quite realistic and a five year old wouldn't know any better than to assume it was real.

"Mummy said so." Mara answered smugly, "And it's a 'she' not an 'it'."

"Oh, sorry." He breathed. He didn't know much about babies. He wasn't even allowed to touch Poppy. "What's her name?"

"You can choose. You're the Dad."

Jerome was taken aback. "I'm not the Dad! We're not married." He hissed.

"No we're not, but mummy says when you have a baby, you choose who the Dad is." Mara replied, hurt by Jerome's sudden outburst.

"Oh. Okay then. How about Lily?"

"Perfect."

"We're going to be the best parents ever!"

END FLASHBACK

* * *

"Hey, Mara!" Amber called, stumbling over to her in her 4 inch platform heels.

"Hi." Mara replied. She had just entered the headquarters of their building for _'Chic!'_ magazine.**(A/N have no idea if that's real, if it is, I don't own it!)**.Amber had strut over, trying to look fashionable, though to Mara it looked more like she was trying to stay standing upright in what she would call 'killer heels'.

"Are you sure those shoes are a good idea Amber?" Mara asked.

Amber simply raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well… as um _lovely _as those are," Mara pointed to Amber's shoes, "They seem to be stopping you from being able to walk properly."

"Well… yes. Beauty hurts, Mara. Anyway, I have a pair of flats up in my office. These babies are for showing off." Amber pointed out. Mara laughed.

"Anyway, how are you doing?" Amber's bubbly voice turned into one of sympathy, and she carefully placed a hand on her back comfortingly.

"I'm guessing you mean about Jerome?" Mara mumbled, "Let's talk while we walk."

They set off in direction of the lift, and people immediately made way for them. They were highly respected- they did own the magazine after all. Amber loved all the attention. She practically fed off it.

Mara, however, didn't care all that much for the attention. She didn't hate it, but it just made her feel weird. All throughout her life, she would work so hard to impress everyone else, and now all of a sudden it's like their lives have been reversed and now people were striving to impress _her_. And she felt quite privileged, to have people think that she was worthy of impressing.

But it almost made her feel selfish. She felt sorry for all the journalists that had worked so hard to impress her and Amber but ended up getting rejected.

Amber of course, didn't understand Mara when she said that she felt sorry for all the journalists that she had to fire. She would always say, "Come on Mara, it's life. You have to work hard if you want the job. We are like goddesses. We run this place, boss these people around and it may sound easy, but it's all hard work."

"Hello? Earth to Mara!" Amber waved her hand in front of Mara's face after she pressed the 'up' button on the lift.

Mara was suddenly brought back into reality after thinking about her social status.

"Oh, um… well I miss him." She started off at a normal voice but by the end of the sentence her voice was barely audible. The lift doors opened and they stepped inside. Two more people were waiting to get on, but Amber just press _'close door' _and muttered a small "Sorry; personal moment."

After the doors had closed completely, they were left alone and Amber went over to a silently crying Mara and hugged her tightly.

"Oh, Mara…" Amber soothed, "It's gonna be alright."

"Yeah, I know."

Amber pulled away from her but kept her hand around Mara's shoulders.

"You know though, I've got to ask… yesterday, when you called me you sounded-well… you sounded so happy, and now…" Amber pressed for an answer as to what was causing her sudden mood swings.

Suddenly, they heard a _ping _and the doors of the lift opened. The crowd outside waiting to get on stared at the two in the elevator. Feeling very awkward, Mara grabbed Amber's hand and pulled her out of the lift and through the crowd who immediately parted for them.

She dragged Amber into their joint office and closed the door.

"Well…?" Amber pressed, tapping her foot repeatedly on the ground impatiently.

"I'm pregnant." Mara whispered. She waited for Amber' reaction and at first she didn't do anything, but then her eyes widened. Out of nowhere, Amber screamed and Mara stumbled back in surprise.

"What? What? What's wrong?"

"YAY!" Amber screeched, "BABY!"

Mara rushed over to Amber and desperately tried to get her to shut up. "Amber, _please,_ shush. No one knows!"

"Not even Jerome?" Amber exclaimed.

"Well, I wrote him a letter and put it in the post office this morning, so he obviously doesn't know yet. But please just keep quiet for now, yeah?"

"You don't sound very happy, Mara," Amber pointed out accusingly, "You're going to be a mother!"

"I know, yesterday I was so excited, but now… I don't know the reality of the whole thing has come crashing down and I'm not all that sure I can do it by myself anymore." Mara was looking down at her shoes and fidgeting with her fingers the whole time.

Amber's expression softened and she went over to Mara and gave her a comforting hug.

"Don't worry Mara; I'll always be there."

"Really?"

"You can count on me."

**A huge thanks to:**

**bs13**

**Corrin Rosen**

**Emmyallheart153**

**SullyClarke**

**Your reviews make me smile!**

**REVIEW! x**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello!**

**Thanks to:**

**Corrin Rosen**

**bs13**

**JustLieForMe**

**SullyClarke**

**For the reviews! looks like the same poeple reviewing, but i don't mind, they still make me smile. hope i get more reviewers for this chapter.**

All the Privates stared at Jerome, concerned. He was sat on his bunk, letter in hand, staring straight ahead of him, and the other three men were sure he hadn't blinked since finishing reading the letter.

"You okay?" Private Smith asked.

"Mm hmm." Jerome mumbled. He couldn't believe this. Mara was pregnant. He was going to be a _father_.

"Aw… Is your wife leaving you?" Private Lawless asked teasingly, noting the letter in Jerome's hands.

"Oh shut up." Jerome growled and threw his somewhat stiff pillow at him which hit Private Lawless square in the face, and deservedly so.

"So what's wrong then?" Private Peters asked, gently. He was probably the nicest one here, and often had to stop the other three from fighting.

"She's pregnant." He whispered.

"Oh well… that's great! Congratulations! Why… aren't you happy?"

"Ooh! You worried that you're not the father?" Private Lawless sniggered, but everyone ignored that one, apart from Jerome.

"Of course I'm the father!"

"Alright, calm down. I was just saying."

"Well then what's the matter?" Private Peters interrupted before another fight could start.

"Well… all of us know that we could all… you know… die." Jerome whispered.

Inside, he was over the moon! But part of him knew that this might not be the best thing for Mara right now. She'd be all alone, whilst being pregnant- and of course she had friends, but it wasn't just that. Jerome wanted to be there for Mara.

But then he thought- shouldn't the fact that Mara was happy with this be enough to convince him that she can do this? And as long as they had a healthy baby in the end, it was fine.

Yes, it was fine.

But for now, Jerome needed time to absorb the information. He carefully folded up the paper and placed it under the pillow, which Private Lawless had lobbed back at him. Laying back down and resting his head on the pillow, he fell into a comfortable half-sleep half-awake state and soon, the rest of the Privates followed suit,apart from Private Smith, who placed himself near the entrance of their hut, keeping watch.

* * *

"I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation, Mara. Calm down." Amber comforted and handed the girl a steaming mug of coffee.

"But it's been a whole two weeks. One week I can understand, I mean… letters take time to be delivered. Especially if it's all the way from Afghanistan. But… it's been a whole two weeks. All the other letters only took a few days, the latest one was only three days!"

"Mara-"Amber interrupted, but Mara interrupted her again.

"The only explanations are either, he doesn't want this baby," She looked down at her stomach. She was one month pregnant, so her belly was still pretty much flat. "Or something happened."

The last sentence was a whisper and Amber rolled her eyes somewhat insensitively. Amber knew this must be hard, but sometimes, having to comfort Mara practically 24/7 got a little tiring. She wanted to help in any way she could, but right now she needed time to herself, and what better way to do that than to change the subject of conversation to herself.

"Look Mara, I know… this must be hard. And especially with the baby on the way and everything. Lots of things could go wrong. Lots and lots and _lots _of things-" Amber stopped rambling as she noticed Mara's expression. "Anyway, the point is, focus on other things. If you keep thinking about Jerome and why a letter hasn't come yet, it's going to seem like every minute is an hour. You know what they say- a watched pot never boils."

Mara raised her eyebrows, impressed. Amber really could be smart at times. She'd once tried to explain a whole load of phrases to Amber, and Mara thought she'd never remember any, but she'd obviously remembered one. "Didn't think you'd remember any of those phrases I'd taught you. Especially after you couldn't remember all the states of America I _tried_ to teach you."

"Hey, I may not know all 49 states," Amber began, and Mara chuckled, correcting Amber in her mind. She didn't want to upset her by pointing out that there were more than 49 states. "But I'm not the dumbest person in the world."

"I know you're not dumb. So… what should we talk about instead?" Mara seemed to be completely over the whole Jerome ordeal- _these pregnancy mood swings must be serious_- Amber thought.

"What about the _baby?"_ Amber squealed.

"Amber…can we not? I mean, I want something that _won't_ remind me of Jerome." Mara said.

"Sure. What else is there to talk about? OH! I know. The party tomorrow! You _are_ coming right? You're not going to let the baby stop you?"

"The party's for a top fashion company, Amber. I seriously doubt it will be anything 'wild'. It's going to be sophisticated."

"Good, for a minute there I thought you'd leave me."

"Right, so we know where the party is…" Mara said.

"Yup."

"We know what we're wearing…"

"Yup…"

"So… all that's left is finding you a date…" Mara wiggled her eyebrows as she said 'date' but Amber's face remained serious.

She knew exactly what Mara wanted to do. She wanted Amber to go on a date with Alfie Lewis. A shabby jokester who was a close friend of Jerome but never actually went to Anubis with them.

At the Christmas party last year, Jerome had told everyone he'd bring a friend. All of the Anubis gang had heard about Alfie before, and the crazy adventures the two of them went on, but none of them had met him even though they desperately wanted to do so. So, Jerome brought him along to the party with him and Mara and Alfie had bonded with all of the group except Amber.

Alfie had immediately developed a crush for Amber, and even though _secretly_, she found it kind of cute- the way he'd do anything to be with her, it was also incredibly tiring.

* * *

FLASHBACK

Mara made her way to Fabian and Nina's Living room, where the Christmas party was being held. Everyone was now gathered in the kitchen, listening to Alfie's crazy ramblings about alien sightings and UFOs and all the mischievous adventures he and Jerome had got up to.

"Why are you in here when everyone's in the kitchen?" Mara asked.

"I could ask you the same thing." Amber retorted.

"I came here to check on you. What's wrong? Do you not like Alfie?"

"Well, he didn't really make a very good first impression."

"Why? What'd he do?"

"Well, let's just say the first thing I want to here when I meet someone for the first time is not some cheesy pick up line."

Mara giggled quietly but stopped immediately when Amber glared at her. She guessed being hit on like that must have offended her more than she thought.

"It couldn't have been that bad."

"Oh, yes it was. But it's not just that, he's been following me around all night, offering to carry things for me and asking every five minutes if I'm hungry or thirsty or…" She threw her arms up in exasperation.

"And that's a bad thing because…?"

"_Because_, it's annoying."

"And you don't like him in _that _way one single bit?"

"No." Amber whined, annoyed.

"Alright, fine." Mara raised her arms in surrender and began to make her way back to the kitchen, but then slowed down and turned her head.

"First impressions aren't always correct you know." Mara said, then winked playfully to which Amber just rolled her eyes. But what Mara said stuck in her head. Mara was undeniably smart, so Amber figured she might as well take advice from Mara for once for something other than homework problems.

She too slowly made her way to the kitchen, and entered, hoping no one would realise her presence; She hated to admit defeat- Mara wasn't the only stubborn one.

However, people did notice her presence. Everyone turned and Alfie gave a goofy smile.

"Hey Amber!" He said cheerfully, trying to lean back casually on the kitchen counter. However he misjudged where the counter was, so instead of leaning back onto it, his elbow slipped off of the edge and he fell down.

Everyone burst out laughing, even Fabian and Nina.

"We'll…um… leave you two lovebirds to it then." Jerome smirked, wrapping a strong arm around Mara's waist, leading her away after placing a soft kiss on top of her head.

Everyone soon followed Jerome and Mara and Alfie and Amber were left quite awkwardly, standing in the kitchen. Amber turned on her heels and was about to follow the rest when a hand gripped her wrist and turned her back around.

Amber gasped at the contact, not necessarily because it was Alfie, but because she'd felt something- a sudden jolt of happiness. She hadn't been expecting that.

"I'm um… sorry about earlier," Alfie murmured shyly, scratching the back of his head with one hand. "I didn't mean to say that."

"Okay."

"So… do you want to… I don't know… go out someti-"

"Um… let me stop you right there. You're this… alien loving… prank doing… weird guy." Amber finished off lamely. Alfie laughed quietly at her description of him, but he was nervous. He felt like she was going to say something worse in a minute.

"And I'm… well, me. And let's face it. I'm…" Amber pointed at herself, "Never going to go out with _that_." Amber pointed at Alfie.

Alfie's chest felt heavy. He knew that asking her out was a bit farfetched, but she didn't have to be so blunt about it.

Amber hadn't meant for it to sound as mean, but she had suddenly felt anger brewing up inside her. She was angry because all this time, she had only ever allowed herself to go after men who were 'worthy' of her. Those men would be athletic, strong, handsome, rich… needless to say, Amber would never go out with someone so… Alfie-ish.

But when she felt that jolt of excitement from a single touch, it was like she was being proven wrong. It was like saying that someone like Alfie was worthy of Amber, and to her it all felt so…wrong.

So she let herself say what she needed to say but that sentence was probably the biggest mistake she's made because after saying that, Alfie had never stopped trying to impress her, or buy her gifts, or call her every _single_ day…

* * *

Ever since that Christmas party, Alfie had been pining after Amber.

"I am not going with Alfie!" Amber hissed.

"Oh, come on. Why not? What is so repulsive about him that you can't even go on one _single_ date with him?"

"I don't know."

"Please go out with him. For me?"

Amber just gave her a look that said 'really?' and Mara sighed in defeat. Silence fell on them but was broken by Mara.

"Remember all those times in school, where you'd try and set up people?"

"Yeah."

"Remember how we all hated it? Because we thought it was stupid and needless and kind of idiotic…?"

"Get to the point Mara."

"Okay, well, all those couples you predicted are now together! And I think it's time you stopped with the match making and start dating! I'm sure Alfie and you are going to be great! And if not, then go back to being friends. You never know…"

Mara wiggled Amber's mobile in the air, telling her to call Alfie. Admitting defeat, Amber snatched the phone from Mara's grip and dialled, muttering things under her breath the whole time. Mara could hear her, but he didn't care. The recipient picked up and Amber started speaking.

"Hello? Alfie? It's Amber…"

**REVIEW...REVIEW...REVIEW...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello! Oh and BTW, I was reading through one of the chapters, and in the chapter where Mara was telling Jerome she was pregnant in the letter, it said 'Amber and Alfie's son, Lois, is now one year old!'. That was meant to say 'Fabian and Nina's son, Lois, is now one year old'. I don't know if anyone noticed it, but I wanted to clear that up!**

**Also, sorry i haven't uploaded in ages, i've had an exam week, and if i don't pass, i won't get into the top set next year and i will explode on the spot**

**my parents have high standards...**

**and the boy next to me in the exam kept moaning... O.o so ummm... kinda offputting but at least i have an excuse as to why i failed (If i falied)- because he was distracting me...**

Amber hung up and slid her phone into her pocket.

"Happy now, Mara?"

"Ecstatic!" Mara replied. Amber had just asked Alfie Lewis on a _date_! Mara hadn't thought she'd actually do it, but she knew that secretly, Amber did have tiny feelings for Alfie. She was just playing hard to get.

Amber rolled her eyes at Mara's comment and picked up her purse. Slinging it around her shoulder she turned to Mara and said, "I better get going. Don't forget the party tomorrow! I refuse to be left alone with Alfie for the entire night."

"I think being left alone with Alfie is kind of the whole point of a date…" Mara noted and Amber scoffed.

"Yeah, yeah." She called out, closing the door behind her.

_Tomorrow should be interesting_, Mara thought, chuckling lightly at the image of Amber and Alfie. She'd love to tell Jerome, but she hadn't received a letter from him yet. Sighing, she turned off the light in the kitchen and made her way upstairs, thinking about Jerome the whole time.

As Mara had predicted, the party was nothing too 'wild', though it wasn't exactly sophisticated either. What she had expected was a bunch of snobby people in business suits trying to sell their clothes to every person attending, but no, it was like any other party.

She had originally planned on wearing the dress that she had received in the post, but her baby bump didn't allow her to get into it, so she and Amber swapped dresses. Honestly, the dress suited Amber a lot more than it would have suited Mara.

Ambers dress was black at the top, then a wide golden belt went round her middle, and below that, the skirt was pink. With it, she wore matching pink and black heels, peach-pink feather earrings and a gold clutch purse to match her golden belt.

Mara, on the other hand wore a dress that was baggy, which hid her baby bump nicely- not that she was ashamed of it, it was just that she hadn't told anyone at work yet. Her dress was beige, with multi-coloured butterflies colouring it here and there, and there was a wide collar at the top, which was low enough to show off her lender neck and collar bones. With it, she wore high black wedge heels though she had tried to convince her it was a bad idea, gold hoop earrings, a brown shoulder bag and for make-up, she wore nothing other than a little lip gloss.

(outfits on my profile)

Alfie wore a simple suit with a blue tie and black dress shoes, and even Amber had to admit that he was quite handsome.

Mara watched, amused, as Alfie followed Amber around with two glasses of champagne, desperately trying to start a conversation, but failing miserably. Even Mara was disgusted at the fact that Amber was flirting directly in front of Alfie, even though they had come to this party together.

Mara shook her head slightly, feeling sympathy towards Alfie, and she could see the tears in his eyes as Amber leaned over the counter of the bar flirtatiously, whispering something into the bartender's ear.

Alfie couldn't believe it! Here he was, with _the_ Amber Millington, on a _date_ and she was leaning over the bar, giggling and flirting with the bartender, as if he didn't exist.

Even though he had wanted this so badly- to go on a date with Amber- he wasn't so sure anymore. He still liked her; really, really liked her; in fact it wouldn't be long until he started loving her, but even he could see that this wasn't going to work out.

Here he was, holding Amber's drink for her, all dressed up in a suit that had almost rendered him broke, while she was acting like a love-struck teen. And he had to admit, he felt like he was her dog.

"Uh- hey? Amber?" he tried to interrupt and start a conversation, and his heart almost skipped a beat when she turned round to face him. _Maybe she'll actually talk to me now, _he thought.

"What? Oh, my drink! Thanks for holding it Alfie. Why don't you go make a friend or something? Threes a crowd." She whispered the last sentence harshly.

It wasn't long until tears rose to his eyes, and before they could slip out, he got up from the barstool and plodded over to Mara, who was sat in the corner sipping a glass of what appeared to be fruit juice.

"Oh! Alfie, hi!" she chirped, too afraid to ask if he was alright- she had watched the little flirting scene between Amber and the bartender, and although she was no lip-reader, it wouldn't take a genius to figure out that whatever happened between those three was not good- for Alfie anyway. He sat down on the sofa next to her.

"Hey, Mara." He sighed.

"Alfie... what happened?" Mara scooted closer to Alfie, placing a comforting hand on his back and rubbing it gently.

"Amber's a little too interested in that guy over there to notice me."

"Oh, Alfie…"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be boring you with all of this, I'll leave you to it." He stood up to leave but Mara yanked him down and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Are you kidding? I'm bored out of my mind! Being pregnant is hard… I can't dance, ii can't eat unhealthy stuff, I can't even be bothered to stand up."

Alfie chuckled, then sniffled a little bit. "Are you sure you don't mind listening to all this?"

"Of course I don't mind, I love listening to other people."

"Alright, well… I've been carrying thing around for Amber all day. I bought these ridiculous dress shoes for her! I got this new suit just for her, and I'm not bragging or anything but this thing cost me £300!"

"£300?"

"I just wanted to impress her, you know?"

"And hey, Jerome always wore dress shoes!" Mara pretended to be sad, but the thought of Jerome actually did make her a little uneasy- it had been a while since she received a letter from him.

"Yeah, well, dress shoes suit him. This is not me!" he exclaimed, gesturing to himself and Mara had to agree.

"I think you look amazing Alfie. And you're right, this isn't you. You shouldn't change; you know why? Because I love the goofy Alfie, the Alfie that jokes around and can put a smile on my face no matter what situation I'm in, we all love that Alfie. And honestly, you are one of the best friends I've ever had!"

"Thanks Mara, but that's just it. I don't _want_ to be the joke in the group. For once I want to show Amber that I'm more than magic tricks and pranks."

"You shouldn't have to change for someone to like you, Alfie, unless you are changing bad habits to good ones- like Jerome did remember?"

"When Jerome changed, you started to like him didn't you?"

"Yes, but I liked him because he showed me a side of him that no one has ever seen before. He changed his lying, cheating ways and he isn't afraid to show that he genuinely cares now. Alfie, what you're doing is buying more and more expensive clothes and showering Amber in gifts. That's not something I'd fall in love with."

"You wouldn't fall in love with me buying you everything you wanted?"

"Maybe at first, but then I'd want something more… actual love. And you can't buy love."

"Maybe Amber will fall for me if I buy her really good presents?"

Mara shook her head sympathetically, and Alfie knew that she had won, but he still liked Amber, and he didn't want to give up. Mara took his hands in hers and looked him in the eyes.

"Alfie, is this really what you want? Don't you think you deserve more?"

Alfie nodded his head and smiled, before engulfing Mara in a hug.

"Thanks Mara! You're the best. I shouldn't have to change for anyone."

She simply smiled in reply, and Alfie felt his stomach churn, though not in a bad way. He wondered if that meant anything, but he pushed all thoughts aside and got up, telling Amber that he was leaving.

Mara had decided to come home early, pregnancy and parties were not something that mixed in Mara's opinion. She slid on her pyjamas and was about to turn off the light when the ringing of the door bell rang through the house.

Sighing, she plodded over to the hallway and opened the door cautiously- you never knew what could happen at night.

"Oh! Amber!" Mara exclaimed in confusion. "Did you forget something?"

"I can't believe you!" she screamed, and Mara yanked her inside, afraid that Amber's volume may wake up the whole neighbourhood.

"What did I do?" Mara asked, worried.

"You told Alfie to break up with me!"

"I did not! I told him that he shouldn't have to change for you, Amber. And I don't regret saying it, I meant every word I said. You made him sit there, like some dog on a leash, holding your drink, that _he _paid for, while you were flirting with some random man!" Mara cried. She hadn't expected this, but she had to back herself up.

"I was just playing hard to get! I would have made him mine if you had kept your filthy little mitts out of my business" Amber hissed, and Mara was taken aback by this.

"He came over to me, practically in tears, about how you'd hurt him, what was I supposed to say?" Mara said this quietly, trying to end this fight, but Amber had no intention of ending it, if anything she was shouting louder.

"How about 'give Amber a chance'?" she shrieked. "You know what Mara… Forget this whole thing."

"What thing?"

"This whole 'pregnancy help scheme'. Don't come crying to me when something goes wrong. In fact you can do it all by yourself: the ultrasounds, the shopping, even the labour! You can look after the baby yourself, since we all know Jerome isn't coming back. I mean, why else wouldn't he have written?"

With this, Amber stormed out, leaving a petrified Mara rooted to the spot.

**Oooh! Will Amfie get together again? ****_Should_**** they get together again? Or has Alfie set his sights on a certain someone else? And why hasn't Jerome written a letter yet?**

**REVIEW…REVIEW…REVIEW x**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello!**

**Idk if people have it in other countries, but there is a TV advert for Magners Cider here in the UK and Francis Magee (Victor in HoA) is in it and I found that hilarious! It's funny seeing him as a normal human and not Victor.**

**And the actress of Miss Denby in HoA is also in a UK advert for something called but that wasn't so interesting… -_-**

**And I should thank all the reviewers- I've been forgetting to do that recently, so thanks to:**

**Bs13  
SullyClarke  
JustLieForMe  
cruzguadalupe6**

**Enjoy…**

Mara had rung up the headquarters of the magazine to tell her secretary that she wouldn't be able to come in to work. She had been sick all morning, running from the living room to the bathroom every 10 minutes. In the end, tired of running, she decided to go up to her room (her and _Jerome's_ room) so that she would only be a few seconds away from the bathroom.

Morning sickness or not, she was going to call in sick anyway- there was no way she could face Amber after what happened last night. She wanted to make up with Amber so badly; not just because of the 'whole pregnancy help scheme' as she had put it, but rather because Mara felt immensely guilty for what she had said to Amber. However part of her mind leaned on the fact that Amber had hurt Alfie a great deal- whether she was playing hard-to-get or not!

The fact that she still had no news from Jerome didn't exactly help her situation. She remembered about a month ago when she was so sure that she could do everything by herself and with the help of Amber. Now, look at her.

The last words that Amber had said to her clung on to her mind: _'You can look after the baby yourself, since we all know Jerome isn't coming back. I mean, why else wouldn't he have written?'_

She prayed and prayed for Jerome to be okay, but as the days went on, it became hard not to give up hope. Reaching under the pillow, she pulled out a photo; a photo of her and Jerome. They were holding hands and it was just after the wedding when they had finished their slow dance. Mara remembered that moment instantly- once they had finished their dancing, and all the other couples joined the dance floor, John Clarke had insisted on one last photo. In the picture, both had massive smiles on their faces, Mara blushing from a cheeky remark that Jerome had made.

She held the picture in both of her hands that were wet with tears and examined it carefully- oh how happy they had been. Maybe she was just over-reacting- Amber had to forgive her sometime, right? They can't exactly run a company together whilst not being able to look each other in the eyes. And they'd be friends again. If not, she still had other friends, especially Alfie and Eddie- they always did have some sort of special bond, those three.

The only one out of all the Anubis gang that had had children were Fabian and Nina. They have a 1 year old son- Lois. If anyone could help Mara with her pregnancy, it would be 'Fabina'. But Mara was never close with them. She had been close with Fabian a long, long time ago- but that was before Nina came and after that, all of the Anubis residents, one by one, seemed to join them in some 'Scooby gang mystery' as Jerome would call it. First amber joined then Alfie, then Patricia, then Joy. She never knew what they got up to. She knew that Jerome had once been a part of it, but he had always said: "Trust me Mara, you don't want to know." Even though she desperately _did_ want to know, she decided to let Jerome have some privacy.

With slow and careful fingers, she cradled the photo in her arms, pressing it against her chest. She may be able to cope with the pregnancy, but she _definitely _needed Jerome back, that was for sure.

Suddenly, she heard a buzz- a text message. Sighing, she rolled over in bed, her baby bump had grown, but not so much that she couldn't get up and about. The brightness of the screen startled her and irritated her eyes. It was then that she fully realised how dark the room was- she hadn't opened the curtains.

She squinted, moving the screen about so that her eyes adjusted and she could read the message:

**New message from Poppy Clarke:**

**Hi Mara! This week is my holz, so I'm coming home from uni. Dad says I can stay w/ him, but I was wondering whether u wanted 2 meet up sum time?**

**-Poppy x :D **

She sighed at the grammar and spelling mistakes- she knew that Poppy could spell, she just didn't know why people couldn't use proper English for texting. But her text speech was much better than other people she knew.

She quickly typed a short response:

**Your message to Poppy Clarke:**

**Sure Poppy! That sounds lovely- just text me about when and where you want to meet, okay? See you soon!**

**-Mara 3 x**

* * *

In the magazine headquarters, Amber sat in her office chair, biting her nails- a habit she indulged in when she was scared, or guilty. In this particular instance, she was both scared _and_ guilty.

What she had said to Mara was way out of line, and she had hoped to make up with her at work, but Mara's seat was empty. Their secretary had told her that Mara called in sick, but Amber couldn't help but think that Mara _might_ be faking it so as to avoid her. And she couldn't blame her. If Amber were Mara, she wouldn't forgive Amber either. What had she done?

What she said to Mara floated around in her head, weaving itself into her thoughts: _'You can look after the baby yourself; since we all know Jerome isn't coming back. I mean, why else wouldn't he have written?'_

Amber knew Mara well enough to know what she was doing- probably crying over the thought of Jerome. _Poor Mara…_ she thought.

She had tried to ring Mara, but she wouldn't pick up- maybe she really was sick.

So, instead of wasting her time trying to phone her up, Amber busied herself with another task. There was one other person that deserved an apology.

She picked up the phone receiver, and dialled the number slowly to give herself time to ponder over what she could say. Her thinking time was soon over, though, as the recipients voice rand through the phone.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Alfie…hey. It's- um, I-its Amber." She mumbled, fiddling with the phone cord. Never had she had to apologise to one of her dates.

"I know." That was Alfie's response.

"Oh…" She muttered. Amber shifted uncomfortably in her seat and she felt so mortified, her cheeks began to burn. "Listen Alfie… I am really, _really_ sorry about the other ni-"

"That's okay." Alfie's voice was stiff, almost robotic. His voice held no emotion whatsoever, and this unsettled Amber. Never had Alfie Lewis run out of emotions.

"Okay… I just thought maybe I could make it up to you by giving _us_ another go…?"

"No thank you."

Amber was taken aback- wasn't this what Alfie had been practically begging for? A date with her?

"Oh… okay then." Amber huffed. Her heart sank to her stomach and her palms became clammy. What was this feeling? Was this really how rejection felt? Was this how every boy that she had said 'no' to felt? It sucked.

The line was silent. Neither amber nor Alfie made the effort to break the silence even though the quietness was awkward, but neither had the courage to hang up. Amber finally decided to speak up.

"But are we good?" she asked, hopefully.

"Good?"

"Yeah- you know… are we friends?"

"Of course." He said, and then the line went dead. This made relief gush through Amber's veins, however she didn't feel quite as happy as she thought she would be after making up with Alfie.

She should be ecstatic- Alfie and her were friends, and he didn't want to go on a date with her anymore. That was exactly what she wanted in the beginning.

Though now, she felt like she should ring him up again. Her heart still felt as if it were tangled up in her intestines, refusing to rise to her chest.

Did she… does she _actually_ want to go on a _date_ with _Alfie Lewis?_

Weird…

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while, my teachers thought it would be funny to give us surprise exams after we had done our actual exams… -_-"**

**Anyway, we have our half term holidays here in England… so I will probably have enough time to update again soon… but my family does have guests over- which means I have to ****_socialise_****… which I am NOT very good at…**

**Anyway, that's enough about my social life, it is 00:04 in the morning and I am one tired girl…**

**REVIEW PLEASE AND GOODNIGHT, SLEEP TIGHT, DON'T LET THE BED BUGS BITE. xxx **


	8. Chapter 8

**i'm going to London for a few days, so i can't update**, **which is why this chapter is extra long...**

Yawning, Mara stretched out in her bed, and tilted her head to the side. The electric alarm clock read 6:17 in big, red digits that irritated her eyes slightly. She sighed. 6:14 AM; why did she always have to wake up so early; on a Saturday as well!

However, she was glad that is was the weekend, because that meant she didn't have to go to work. And no work meant no Amber. Mara hadn't talked to Amber after the whole incident. She had received countless amounts of calls from Amber but she hadn't picked up- what would she say? She hadn't talked to Alfie either, now that she thought about it. _I hope he's doing okay_ she thought as her thoughts drifted from the blonde to the dark skinned boy.

Mara was brought back into reality by a sudden buzz. It was a text message:

**New message from Poppy Clarke:**

**Hey Mara! How 'bout we meet up 2day, seeing as it's the weekend? 11:00 4 a cup of coffee the usual café? **

**-Poppy :D x**

Mara smiled. She was glad to still have someone she could talk to without being bombarded with boy troubles or the stress of work. Poppy did occasionally have boy troubles, but they were far less complicated now that she had a boyfriend- Jacob (but everyone calls him Jake) and she didn't complain about exam stress or anything like that. It was nice to just hang out with someone and talk about normal things.

Though Mara had a feeling that this 'casual cup of coffee at the usual café' was more for Poppy to see how Jerome was getting on. That was when Mara realised that Poppy still didn't know that she was pregnant! She was going to wait till they met up in person again to tell her- this was it then!

* * *

Back in Afghanistan, the Privates lay silently in their beds, praying for Private Smith to be okay. Private Smith had gone outside for his duties hours ago, and yet he still wasn't back.

The wind blew outside and the corrugated steel roof rattled in its place, creating a haunting and eerie atmosphere.

None of the three soldiers dared to speak, but Jerome was frantically scribbling down a letter for Mara and the scratching of his pen against the paper was the only noise that was made by the men.

He was worried for Private Smith, naturally, but he was worried more for Mara. He had been so caught up in his duties that he had forgotten to reply and now she must be thinking horrible thoughts as to why he hadn't written.

_Dear Mara,_

_I am so, so, so, so, so, so, sorry for not being able to write to you sooner. I hope I didn't worry you too much but things here have begun to pick up- and not in a good way. Private Smith has gone missing and all three of us are praying for him to be okay._

_Your letter came to me as quite a shock! And I hope you can understand that I needed time to absorb the information… but there's no need to worry! This is great news! I can't wait for us to finally be parents! It's going to be amazing. I feel so bad about not being there to support you, but I know you'll be great!_

_You have to keep me updated on what's going on- the ultrasounds and all… I can't wait to hear about it! :D _

_But you have to be careful! I don't want anything to happen to you two. And I think we should keep the gender a secret, don't you? Now I have to think of baby names…_

_How is everyone? Am I correct in saying that Poppy is on her holidays now? How is she? And is she still with that Jacob boy- I don't like the look of him… Tell her I said hi._

_You really shouldn't worry about me, Sweetheart. I'm fine, and I will be extra careful- for you and our baby- I love writing that. Our baby. Our baby. It will never get old :D_

_And obviously, if anything goes wrong (I really hope nothing does) you know you have all our friends and you always have me, no matter how far apart we are. Never forget that._

_I love you…_

_Please reply soon,_

_Lots of love from Jerome xxx_

* * *

The streets were full of people today- and it wasn't even midday! Mara strolled through the busy crowd and once she had reached the end of the road, she walked down a little alleyway. It wasn't the type of alleyway where 'hooligans' and 'ruffians' gathered to commit crimes, and the walls were spotless apart from a few cracks here and there- no graffiti in sight. But she remembered how Jerome would never allow her to walk down here by herself, just in case something happened.

A smile graced her features as the thought of Jerome's protectiveness came into mind.

The alley way ended and the streets were much wider, and much less crowded. No one really came here, it was more for old people- or people who loved the look and feel of old fashioned, quaint little shops.

She walked further down the street, waving hello to a sweet old lady, before she was stood in front of _'Dorothy's Tea and Coffee', _a small, vintage café owned by a frail, old lady named Dorothy.

Mara peered inside and looked around for Poppy.

"Mara!" someone squealed and Mara was engulfed in a hug from behind- Poppy. Poppy soon let go and Mara laughed, turning around.

"Poppy!" she squealed with just as much enthusiasm.

"Come on, I got us a table at the back."

Poppy led Mara through the close-together tables until they came to a comfy booth at the back that was nicely tucked away.

"So, Poppy how are you?"

"I'm good, thanks. Exams are coming up though, but I made sure to study hard- just like you told me to" Mara giggled at this, though she knew that Poppy really did go all out on studying to impress her father and Jerome, even though there was no reason to- she was guaranteed to get a high grade. This was something both girls had in common- they were both sure to get a high mark, if not full marks, but they buried themselves in their textbooks and locked themselves away from civilisation should an exam come up.

"And how's Jacob?" Mara teased. Poppy flushed a deep shade of red when hearing the boy's name.

"He's okay…"

"Ooh… why are you blushing so hard, Poppy? Is there something I should know..?"

Poppy hit Mara on the arm lightly. They were both comfortable with each other. Poppy even looked up to Mara as a big sister and always admired her; if she had a problem, she knew Mara would listen. Jerome would listen too… but he was a bit too overprotective and harsh- especially when it came to the subject of boyfriends. It was nice for Poppy to have someone like Mara to talk to.

"No…. anyway…. How's Jerome? Is he okay? Have you heard from him yet?" Poppy was inching forward in her seat.

"Whoa, calm down, Poppy! Actually… I haven't received any news from him lately…" Mara told her solemnly. Poppy's eyes widened slightly and the fear and concern were obvious on her face. Before she could jump to conclusions, Mara wanted to break the news about her pregnancy, but wondered if John had told her already. Apart from her friends and Jerome, John was the only one to know about the baby. Mara's parents had passed away many years ago. "Did… your Dad tell you anything…?" She asked, trying to see if she knew.

"Um… no," Poppy replied, clearly still hung up about Jerome. "Oh! But he did tell me you had something _very _special to tell me- that's kinda why I asked you to meet up with me- well, that and the fact that I haven't seen you in absolutely _ages_. Sooo… what is it that you wanted to tell me?"

"Okay, but before I tell you, you have to promise, not to freak out, okay?"

Poppy nodded, slightly nervous as to what Mara had to say. Mara leaned in and whispered the news into her ear.

Poppy's eyes widened, as did her smile, and before Mara knew it, she was wrapped up in another hug.

"Oh, Mara, this is so great! You're going to be a Mum! _I'm _going to be an _aunt_! Oh, my god!" She shrieked. _At least she's taking it well,_ Mara thought. "Oh, wait… did you tell Jerome that you're pregnant?"

"Yeah...?"

"And he hasn't… replied?"

"No…" Mara sighed. It seemed as though Poppy was coming to the same conclusion that Mara had- that Jerome didn't want the baby.

"So, you think… that he doesn't want the baby..?" Poppy confirmed.

"Well, I did… but it's _Jerome._ He wouldn't do something like that." Though Mara was trying to convince Poppy, she sounded unsure.

"No…. I'm sure he wouldn't! But… speaking hypothetically, what if something happened to him…?"

"Poppy! You shouldn't think like that!"

"I know, I know, but still… won't it be hard to bring up the baby by yourself?" When she said this, Mara's expression seems to change and Poppy immediately felt guilty. "But, you'll always have me, and Dad… if you need us. And I'm sure Jerome's fine."

"Thanks poppy, but I'm not giving up on Jerome."

LINE BREAK

The next day, Mara still couldn't get the conversation between her and Poppy out of her head.

_Thump!_

Mara jumped up from her place on the sofa and ran to the front door eagerly, picked up the mail and rummaged through them all, muttering to herself the whole time.

"Electricity bill, no. Gas bill, no. Water bill, no. Flyer for pizza…no." She sighed, frustrated. Out of sheer frustration, she chucked the letters and flyers onto the floor, grunting in anger- when someone was Mara Jaffray, they knew that they would never do something that would have dire consequences. When one was Mara Jaffray, performing small actions such as throwing their mail on the floor was the only way to express their feelings.

It was when Mara decided that the mail thrown onto the ground was far too messy for her liking and had to be picked up, that she saw the brown envelope addressed to _'Mrs Mara Clarke'_ in the all too familiar handwriting of Jerome.

She made a whistling noise by blowing out air through closed lips, trying to contain a squeal.

_Finally,_ she thought. She didn't waste any more time. She picked up the mail that was lying on the floor and stacked them up in a neat pile, carrying them through to the kitchen, with the letter from Jerome on the top. Placing the pile down onto the counter, she picked up the top letter and sat down at the dining table, slowly peeling away the tab at the top, as if savouring the sweet moment.

She didn't want to finish the letter too quickly- it may be the last one she got for a while, but then again, the sooner she finished, the sooner she could write a reply.

Pulling out the wrinkled piece of paper from inside the envelope, she unfolded it and scanned through the letter, taking in every little detail. Mara couldn't help but notice that Jerome sounded so stiff and distant. He didn't joke at all- but she was still only on the first few sentences. Still, the way he wrote sounded so un-Jerome. She took in a sharp breath and held it as she read about Jerome's fellow Private. _That must be why he sounds so weird_, she thought,_ he's obviously concerned about Private Smith and his thoughts are elsewhere._

Then she got to the bit about the baby.

_"Your letter came to me as quite a shock!" _she read. _Oh, no! This is it, he doesn't want the baby, _she thought.

_ "And I hope you can understand that I needed time to absorb the information…" _She read on. _Here it comes, Mara…_

_"But there's no need to worry!" _As she read this, the colour rose again to her face, and she felt a massive weight lifted off of her shoulders.

_ "This is great news! I can't wait for us to finally be parents! It's going to be amazing. I feel so bad about not being there to support you, but I know you'll be great!"_

Mara smiled. It was okay; it was all going to be okay. She giggled to herself when she read the part about him telling her to be careful. _How ironic,_ she thought, **_he's_**_ telling__** me **__to be careful!_

This unsettled her- if Private Smith went missing, who's to say Jerome won't? But he did say he was fine… _yes, he's fine_, she convinced herself.

And to Mara, everything in the world seemed to be right once again. Reading the letter boosted her confidence and the biggest problem to her right now (apart from Amber, of course) was only what they were going to name their child.

And that brought back distant memories…

* * *

FLASHBACK

Mara and Jerome lay under the covers, Mara's head on his chest. Jerome opened his mouth slightly, then shook his head softly and closed his lips, deciding against speaking.

"What?" Mara whispered.

"What do you mean what? And why are we whispering?"

"You were going to say something but you closed your mouth. And I don't know- why _are_ we whispering?"

Jerome's chest rumbled as he chuckled, but then his lips tilted down again into a straight line, his face becoming serious.

"I was wondering," he began, moving himself about so that he was on his side and was staring at Mara's soft brown eyes through the dim light the lamp was giving off, "how would you feel, about… starting a family…?" he finished, unsurely.

Mara thought this was going to be some silly question- as it usually would be- but after he finished, Mara, too, became serious.

"Are you serious?" she asked, wondering if this was a joke. But Jerome would never joke around such an important subject.

"Yeah." He answered, lifting one hand up out of the quilt cover to rest on her cheek gently.

"I don't know… you know I wanted a family."

"_Wanted, _or _want_?"

"_Want. _But I didn't think you would."

Mara knew that the question of starting a family was a sensitive topic to Jerome. He was always so worried that he'd end up like his father, despite the fact that Mara had told him that his father is an amazing man, even though he made some mistakes in the past.

"Of course I want a family. I have you, I have this amazing house with you, I finally have _my _family- you know, with Dad and Poppy- but I want _our _family." He assured her, stroking her cheek.

"Me too," She grinned, "Do you want a boy or girl?"

"I don't mind… but if I could choose, I'd say girl."

"Me too! I've always wanted a daughter."

"And how come I've never been informed of this?" Jerome asked dramatically, pretending to be shocked, though Mara knew that part of him was genuinely shocked- Mara told him everything; so why not tell him that she wanted a child?

"I don't know…" She sighed, and Jerome knew he'd get an answer out of her, but not now. He was too happy right here in this moment; genuinely happy. And he didn't want a fight to strike up and ruin it.

"What would you name her then?" Jerome asked.

"Something pretty and cute, and old fashioned."

"Oh no, old fashioned. Our daughter's going to end up being called Prudence or something isn't she?"

"No!" Mara laughed loudly. Talking about this made her happy, maybe she would finally get a family of her own… "What would you name her, Jerome?"

"Something like… Dorothy."

"_Dorothy?_" Mara laughed even harder, her cheeks were on fire.

"What? What's so funny?" Jerome was somewhat hurt by this- was he going to be such a bad father that he'd pick the worst name ever, and be the reason their daughter got bullied in life?

"Jerome! Dorothy is granny name!"

"I suppose, but we'd get to nickname her 'Dot'. That's cute."

"Yeah it is sort of cute. But the full name isn't!" she giggled.

"Alright, alright, then. What would _you_ name her, Smarty Pants? What name is 'pretty and cute and old fashioned'?" he asked, quoting her from before.

"How about Madeleine?" Mara proposed nervously, and by the ease in which she had said it, as if she didn't need to think long and hard about it, told Jerome that she probably had the name picked out ever since she was a little girl. This thought made Jerome smile, but he didn't question it. I _was_ a pretty name.

"Why, Jaffray, who knew you had such great taste in names?"

"It's not every day we discuss such things, Jerome, so I doubt anyone knew I have great taste in names. But it is true- I am amazing." She said the last part teasingly.

"Who said you were amazing?" he scoffed, just as teasingly. "Anyway, what nickname would you give to 'Madeleine'?" Jerome only asked this because he figured she already had the nickname picked out.

"Well… Madeleine is such a pretty name- I don't think it needs a nickname. The obvious choices are 'Lynn' or 'Maddie', but 'Lynn' sounds so grown up and I don't really like 'Maddie'. I'd nickname her 'Dolly'."

"'Dolly'?"

"Yeah, the middle part of 'Madeleine sounds like Dolly."

"Cute" Jerome mumbled. "So, it's all decided."

"What if we have a boy?" She giggled.

**REVIEW!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey, long time no see, huh? Sorry about the long wait, but I ****_did_**** say that I was going to London for a few days… **

**And I've had a bit of writer's block… so yeah… if you have any suggestion, please PM me and I'll see if I can put it in the story! :D**

Nervously, Mara walked over to the receptionist at the hospital. She was 8 weeks (2 months) pregnant and had received a letter asking her to come to her first ultrasound scan.

"Hello?" Mara asked the lady at the desk who seemed to be absorbed in a conversation with one of her friends rather than helping the waiting patients. Mara's voice didn't seem to break through to her, so she tried to get her attention again. "Hello?" Mara asked, this time with more force in her voice.

The woman at the desk turned around looking irritated that she had been disturbed from her call, and as she spun round, Mara could see that the woman's name tag read 'Shirley'. Shirley was a plump woman, with big round glasses and small pursed lips. She held her head up high, with her long nose stuck in the air and crinkled, as though there were a rather unpleasant, pervasive odour radiating off of the patients.

"Yes, _miss?_" She asked back haughtily, and her small eyes were squinted, staring Mara straight in her pupils; this unnerved Mara. _If only Amber were here, she wouldn't put up with this sort of nonsense. _

Mara _had_ gone to work yesterday, and the day before that, but she and Amber kept themselves to themselves. They sat far away from each other in their joint office, often giving each other guilty looks. Amber hadn't got very much work done, and if she wasn't one of the bosses, she would have easily been fired if someone had seen her 'work'. All Amber had done was think; about Mara; about Alfie; everything. And she only put her pen against her paper or pressed her fingers against the keyboard of the computer when someone walked by, so as not to look completely paralysed. What she had managed to do in two days in the office was draw a few pointless lines and a fruitless attempt at writing a letter to a fashion company abroad.

Mara, on the other hand, immersed herself in her work as a way of avoiding Amber's guilty glances. In the two days of her being in the office she had successfully completed an article on animal rights, set up her campaign to banish cosmetic testing on animals and had answered all the questions for the 'agony aunt' of the magazine. After this, she had no more work, and she didn't want to attempt to make small talk with Amber, so instead she started doodling random things- herself, herself with Jerome… herself with Jerome and the baby…

Mara coughed twice, awkwardly, then composing herself once more, she spoke back to Shirley, but not with a arrogant tone of voice, more a kind and very Mara-like tone- she wasn't going to lose her temper over such small things, although she did get frustrated a lot more often these days- what with all the hormones and all.

"Excuse me? Um, I have an appointment for an ultrasound scan today.' Mara stated, handing over her letter from her doctor as evidence. Shirley snatched it off her hands, crumpling the paper and started typing away.

"Name?" Shirley asked, though it sounded more like a statement. Mara sighed inwardly at Shirley's idiocy. Her name was _clearly_ written on the letter.

"Mara Clarke."

"No one here to accompany you at all?"

_Obviously not! Do you see anyone with me? _Mara yelled in her mind, these hormones were hard to control. "No, I'm here by myself."

Shirley eyed her suspiciously, then her eyes narrowed to give Mara a dirty look. Mara didn't have to be a genius to figure out what was going on in her head- she obviously thought Mara was some kind of slut, who had gotten pregnant in her teenage years (she did look very young for her age) and that the father had left.

"I'm here _alone_ because my husband's in the army. I'm in my twenties, I'm not a teenager, so you can keep your dirty looks to yourself!" Mara said. She hadn't meant to say that out loud, but the anger and frustration were too much to keep in. Shirley was obviously taken aback by her outburst, but she looked guilty.

"Sorry, Madam," she apologised, changing the 'miss' to a 'madam', "if you'd like to take a seat over there, your name will pop on to that screen over there, telling you which room to go to."

Mara stomped over to the waiting area and could immediately tell that everyone had heard her earlier blow towards the receptionist as everyone kept their eyes glued on her. So, she decided to sit in the far corner of the waiting area.

A few minutes later, as Shirley had explained, her name popped up on the plasma screen TV:

**MARA CLARKE**

**PLEASE GO TO EXAMINATION ROOM 12**

She stood up, slung her handbag over her shoulder and strode over to the examination rooms, peering around for number 12.

_Examination room 9, room 10, 11, 12!_ She stopped in front of the 12th room and read the sign:

**Examination room 12**

**Dr Jennings- Obstetrician**

Gingerly placing her hand on the door handle, Mara opened the door then entered slowly, closing it behind her. The room smelt of medicine and hand sanitizer- not the nice, scented ones, but ones that smell of chemicals. Somehow, this smell calmed Mara slightly- the idea of being in good hands; trained professional people's hands.

There was a figure standing beside a small fish tank, though she was wearing a nurse's uniform- not a doctor's.

"Excuse me?" Mara asked quietly, and the lady turned, "hi, I'm Mara Clarke. I was… told to come here?"

"Oh! Yes- Mara Clarke." The lady clicked her fingers in realisation. "I'm Nurse Delia. Why don't you get changed into this gown in that changing cubicle and then take a seat over there and Dr Jennings will be here in a minute." She said handing Mara a hospital gown, and pointing towards a changing cubicle before pointing towards a chair.

"Thank you." Mara smiled at the kind nurse. Delia brisk walked out and Mara sauntered over to the cubicle where she got changed shortly. She then made her way towards the long chair- it was the type you'd see at a dentist's surgery. She put her handbag on the chair next to it- it looked like a chair that a friend would sit in while Mara was having her scan done. She propped herself up onto the chair and sat up, rather than lying down on it.

The fish in the fish tank seemed nervous- its mouth was in a curved frown shape.

"What are you so nervous about? I'm the one who's going to have a baby!" She whispered. _Nice one, Mara, now you're talking to a fish, _she thought. She really was going to need to calm her nerves. She continued looking around the room and she noticed that the room was covered in posters of babies and ultrasound pictures.

One poster in particular caught Mara's attention- it was a poster of a family. In it there was a mother, cradling her new born baby in her arms with her husband standing behind them with his arms wound around her, staring adoringly at the baby. They looked so happy…

"Hello!" A cheery voice rang through the room and Mara's eyes landed on a middle-aged woman in a white lab coat and clipboard, her blonde locks swept up into a messy ponytail and unlike the other staff (with the exception of Delia) she actually looked pleased to be here, which restored some of Mara's confidence. "I'm Dr Jennings, but you can call me Kate! So… you're Mara Clarke?" She asked, flipping through the sheets on her clipboard.

"Erm, yes. Hello!"

"Mara… what a pretty name!" She smiled.

"Thank you." Mara just wanted to get on with it, but Dr Jennings' vivacious nature was sweet.

"Right, let's get on with this, shall we? Why don't you lie down, that's it." She said as Mara lowered herself further onto the chair. Dr Jennings dragged a wheelie chair towards Mara as well as a monitor and scanning device. "This may feel a little cold."

Mara's face crinkled when the jelly touched her bare skin, but it felt okay after a while, then the doctor probed at her stomach with the scanning device, moving it around slowly, eyes trained on the monitor which wasn't displaying much apart from a few black, white and grey stripes.

Whilst Dr Jennings was fiddling around, Mara distracted herself again by tilting her head and staring at the empty chair beside her- well, almost empty, since her handbag was on it. _That's where Jerome should be sitting_, she told herself. She tilted her head up slightly and saw that, on the wall, there was a poster of a young blonde woman who was cradling her baby, like the woman in the other poster. But this time, there was no loving husband with his arms wound round her and the baby. She was alone with the baby… and she was happy. _And if she's happy enough, I will be too._

"Ah, ha! Here we are…" The doctor exclaimed and Mara's head snapped back at the monitor, "Right, you are definitely pregnant! And I see two placentas and yolk sacs…"

"_two?"_ Mara asked.

"Yes…?"

"I'm no doctor," She laughed nervously, "but isn't there only supposed to be _one _placenta?"

"Yes; one placenta _per _baby. And since you're having _two babies-"_

_"Two _babies?" Mara almost screeched.

"I assumed you knew, Mrs Clarke, you're having twins! This _is _good news right?"

"I honestly don't know."

"you'll be fine, Mrs Clarke, don't worry. Any concerns- call us, okay? Also, carrying twins is considered a high risk pregnancy- but don't you worry. Just come in next week for a second ultrasound so that we can make sure everything's perfect, okay?"

"Okay." Mara breathed. Twins… She wondered if the lady on the poster would still be as happy with two babies...

**Review? Just a simple 'loved it' or 'hated it' would do… but I hope you didn't hate it….**

**Even a smiley face would do :D**

**X**


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